Disabled Alvechurch woman 'lost years' fighting for care

Rebecca Grieve said she only received round-the-clock care after appealing against an NHS decision

A disabled woman says she has lost the last few years of her life fighting to get more care.

Rebecca Grieve, from Alvechurch, Worcestershire, is paralysed from the chest down by a spinal injury and struggles to do tasks on her own.

She said she had to battle for two years to get 24-hour support and the quality of the care remained patchy.

The Department of Health said it had started a campaign to recruit more carers.

Ms Grieve, who spent five months in hospital following her injury 12 years ago, said a major improvement was needed in the level of social care for people with serious spinal injuries, as the complexities, and the needs of the individual, were not always understood.

Ms Grieve was paralysed from the chest down by a spinal injury 12 years ago

Ms Grieve said she had done her best to live independently but from 2016, her condition deteriorated.

She said that In 2019, the NHS assessed her and decided she only needed four hours of support on alternate days. But after two years, she said, she won an appeal to receive 24/7 care.

"I've missed the last years of my life because I've been fighting and fighting for care," she explained.

"It's very difficult for people to understand. They say 'oh you have care' but I don't have care providers that are in any way trained to understand the complexities of spinal cord injuries."

She said life had been a struggle "because your life changes in a split second" and "it takes time to find yourself", adding: "I lived in extreme pain and really struggled to do everything on my own."

A new integrated care board has taken on the responsibility for making assessments in Worcestershire but would not comment on Ms Grieve's situation.

Simon Pinnell, from the Spinal Injuries Association, said Ms Grieve's case was not uncommon

Simon Pinnell, from the Spinal Injuries Association, said Ms Grieve's case was not uncommon.

"There are a small number of people who know how to provide specialist care to someone with a spinal cord injury and fully understand the implications of that injury," he said.

The charity added it had been working with the NHS to train specialist carers.

The DoH said £5.4bn had been budgeted to reform adult social care over the next three years.